Come Follow MeThe Old Testament

Why Study the Old Testament?

Justin Baer

Come, Follow Me 2026, “December 29–January 4: Introduction to the Old Testament.”

The Old Testament is hard. All scriptures can be hard, but the Old Testament feels even more challenging. So why should we study it?

There are many reasons, but the few listed in this post are my personal reasons. I believe the Old Testament gives us the foundation for all scripture, and contains the basic principles that we need to understand to fully appreciate the gospel of Jesus Christ and our Father’s plan of salvation.

The Old Testament helps us better understand the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon has been called the “keystone” of our religion.1 Although I haven’t done the research, I suspect that every prophet in our dispensation has taught the importance of the Book of Mormon.2 Our study of the Old Testament will help us to better understand the Book of Mormon.

The majority of the Book of Mormon takes place during Old Testament times. The Book of Mormon begins with Lehi and his family leaving Jerusalem in 600 BC.3 The Savior’s visit to the Americas is recounted in 3 Nephi 11. In 3 Nephi 9:19, he instructs the people that they shall “offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood,” and in 3 Nephi 15:4, he said that the law of Moses had been fulfilled in him. There are 531 pages in the Book of Mormon. The destruction that followed the Savior’s death occurs in 3 Nephi 8, which happens on page 422. The Book of Ether, which occurs prior to Lehi’s family coming to the American continent, comprises 32 pages. That means 85.5% of the Book of Mormon takes place in Old Testament times. An understanding of the Old Testament will give us context for the great majority of the Book of Mormon.

There are also many portions of the Old Testament cited in the Book of Mormon. At the very beginning of the book, we learn that Lehi’s family brings with them the brass plates, which contained “the five books of Moses,” “a record of the Jews from the beginning,” and “the prophecies of the holy prophets.”4 And so, many passages of the Old Testament are quoted, such as large portions of Isaiah (see 1 Nephi 20-21, and 2 Nephi 12-24). Understanding the context of those passages can help us to appreciate their meaning, and perhaps why the Book of Mormon prophets quoted them.

The Book of Mormon is our primary text to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ. Understanding the Old Testament can help us have a greater appreciation for the Book of Mormon.

The Old Testament teaches about our covenants

President Russell M. Nelson was sustained as president of the Church on January 14, 2018, and in his first message, given two days later, he said, “[T]o each member of the Church I say, keep on the covenant path. Your commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available to men, women, and children everywhere.”5 From the very beginning of his ministry, President Nelson emphasized the importance of our covenants, and pleaded with us to stay on the covenant path.

The Old Testament teaches about our covenants, and helps us see why God works with us through covenants. The Lord said to Abraham, “I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.”6 From that point forward, a primary theme of the Old Testament is the Abrahamic Covenant. President Nelson taught, “‘The new and everlasting covenant’ (Doctrine and Covenants 132:6) and the Abrahamic covenant are essentially the same—two ways of phrasing the covenant God made with mortal men and women at different times.”7 Studying the Abrahamic Covenant in the context of the Old Testament will help us better understand our covenants, and what it means to stay on the covenant path.

The Old Testament gives context to the gathering of Israel

One of President Nelson’s primary themes during his ministry was the gathering of Israel.8 It is difficult to understand the gathering without the context given to us in the Old Testament.

The “gathering” of Israel is a direct result and consequence of the “scattering” of Israel. The scattering occurred when the nation of Assyria invaded the Kingdom of Israel in about 722 BC.9 All through the teachings of the prophets in the Old Testament, we find prophecies of both the scattering and the gathering of Israel. In fact, this is the primary focus of Isaiah’s writings.

The story of the scattering of Israel is told in 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. These books teach about the origin of the Kingdom of Israel, its division into two separate nations, and the invasion of the northern kingdom by Assyria. Following that tragic event, the prophets testified that the lost tribes would be restored, or gathered. That restoration is based on and because of God’s covenants with Israel.

The gathering of Israel is not just a temporal grouping together of people, but is an example of how God honors his covenants with us. Our study of these events in the Old Testament can help us feel a greater love and gratitude to our Father in Heaven for our covenant relationship. As we study the Old Testament, we see more clearly the relationship between our covenants and the gathering of Israel.

The Old Testament testifies of Jesus Christ

One of my favorite aspects of the Gospel of Matthew is that he uses Old Testament scriptures to teach his people that Jesus Christ was the prophesied Messiah. Matthew often says something like, “now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled,” followed by a quotation by a prophet from the Old Testament. Here is a brief, but not complete, list:

  • Matthew 1:22–23 → Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son…”
  • Matthew 2:5–6 → Micah 5:2, “Thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda…”
  • Matthew 2:15 → Hosea 11:1, “Out of Egypt have I called my son.”
  • Matthew 2:17–18 → Jeremiah 31:15, “In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping…”
  • Matthew 3:3 → Isaiah 40:3, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness…”
  • Matthew 4:14–16 → Isaiah 9:1–2, “The people which sat in darkness saw great light…”
  • Matthew 8:17 → Isaiah 53:4, “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”
  • Matthew 12:17–21 → Isaiah 42:1–4, “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen…”
  • Matthew 13:14–15 → Isaiah 6:9–10, “By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand…”
  • Matthew 13:35 → Psalm 78:2, “I will open my mouth in parables…”
  • Matthew 21:4–5 → Zechariah 9:9, “Behold, thy King cometh unto thee…”
  • Matthew 26:31 → Zechariah 13:7, “I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered…”

Of all the New Testament writers, Matthew makes the greatest effort to demonstrate that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah as prophesied by Old Testament prophets.

The Book of Mormon is much more direct and focused in using Old Testament writings to teach of Jesus Christ. For example, the prophet Nephi taught that the story of Moses lifting the serpent on the pole, as recounted in Numbers 21:4-9, represented Jesus Christ:

Yea, did [Moses] not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come.

And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal.

And now behold, Moses did not only testify of these things, but also all the holy prophets, from his days even to the days of Abraham.

Yea, and behold, Abraham saw of his coming, and was filled with gladness and did rejoice.10

This is only one of many examples showing that prophets in the Book of Mormon used Old Testament stories to teach of Jesus Christ.

There are many other reasons

The Old Testament is hard, but it is a beautiful book of scripture. Yes, there are language issues, cultural issues, and it can be a slog to get through it, let alone to try and enjoy it. But it is worth the effort. The Old Testament is the foundation for the plan of salvation and the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is in the Old Testament that we learn about our covenant relationship with God, and that we gain an understanding of the gathering of Israel. All the prophets from the foundation of the world have testified of Jesus Christ, and the Old Testament helps us to see that Jesus Christ truly is and has been the central figure of the Father’s plan from the foundation of the world. It is worth every effort to study and understand the Old Testament.

References

  1. Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon-Keystone of Our Religion,” October 1986 (the Book of Mormon is “one of the most significant gifts given to the world in modern times. . . . [It is] more important than any of the inventions that have come out of the industrial and technological revolutions. [It] is a gift of greater value to mankind than even the many wonderful advances we have seen in modern medicine. It is of greater worth to mankind than the development of flight or space travel.”) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1986/10/the-book-of-mormon-keystone-of-our-religion?lang=eng. ↩︎
  2. See, for example, Dallin H. Oaks, “Another Testament of Jesus Christ,” BYU Speeches, June 6, 1993; Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” October 2017; Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley, “Chapter 16: The Power of the Book of Mormon;” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Howard W. Hunter, “Chapter 10: The Scriptures-The Most Profitable of All Study;” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson, “Chapter 9: The Book of Mormon-Keystone of Our Religion.” This is just an example. I would guess that a study of the teachings of each president of the Church would reveal that every prophet has taught and testified of the Book of Mormon. ↩︎
  3. See 1 Nephi 19:8, prophesying that the Savior will come “six hundred years from the time [Lehi] left Jerusalem.” ↩︎
  4. 1 Nephi 5:11-13. ↩︎
  5. “As We Go Forward Together,” Ensign, April 2018, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2018/04/as-we-go-forward-together?lang=eng. ↩︎
  6. Genesis 17:2. ↩︎
  7. Russell M. Nelson, “The Everlasting Covenant,” October 2022, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/10/04-the-everlasting-covenant?lang=eng&id=p3#p3. ↩︎
  8. See Russell M. Nelson, “The Everlasting Covenant,” October 2022, “I have spoken frequently about the importance of the Abrahamic covenant and the gathering of Israel;” see also Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Russell M. Nelson, “Chapter 9: The Gathering of Israel.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-russell-m-nelson/09-the-gathering-of-israel?lang=eng. ↩︎
  9. See Chronology of the Old Testament, “End of the Northern Kingdom,” 721 or 722 B.C. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bible-chron/old-testament?lang=eng&id=p220-p223#p220. ↩︎
  10. Helaman 8:13-17. ↩︎

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